ESU's new dean builds business partnerships at home and abroad

Robert Fleischman, installed by East Stroudsburg University in April from interim dean to dean of the College of Business and Management, went on a weeklong trip to Costa Rica earlier this summer.

Wayne Witkowski

Robert Fleischman, installed by East Stroudsburg University in April from interim dean to dean of the College of Business and Management, went on a weeklong trip to Costa Rica earlier this summer.

It wasn't a vacation or recreation trip or celebration of his newly established status, but a business trip.

The longtime Delaware Water Gap borough resident was checking Costa Rica for student and faculty exchanges and also looking at it for eco-tourism.

"I met with their foreign investment people and their economic development people, and there is the opportunity for collaboration on the university levels between ESU and the two universities there and collaboration as well with their government agencies and potentially with businesses in both countries," he said.

He said there were suggestions for a roundtable discussion among foreign investment, export and tourism personnel from Costa Rica with a group of ESU alumni.

"The country is very interested in a triangular relationship with China and the United States," Fleischman said.

Fleischman primarily views this trip as a model that can apply his new master of science degree program in management and leadership with a concentration on organizational behavior that he has written.

It enables the degree recipient to be a teacher, to guide and set up business plans for a developing, emerging economy to maximize commercial potential in countries that would include Costa Rica and China.

"We have three professors here at ESU who speak Mandarin," Fleischman said. Fleischman believes that his department exemplifies the "university without walls" concept that not only embraces the surrounding business community in meaningful partnerships, but also extends far beyond it.

He showed the local side of that recently when he joined forces with Carl Wilgus of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau and Chuck Leonard of the Pocono Mountain Economic Development Corp. to set up a one-day "Taste of the Town" event in Delaware Water Gap, with a walking tour of restaurants and businesses around the borough's Main Street.

He is advancing the ties with Northampton Community College's business school for students to transfer credits earned there "in a seamless way" so they can complete studies at ESU toward a bachelor's degree in either hotel, restaurant and tourism management, sports management or business management.

Prior to his appointment as interim dean, Fleischman served a term as interim department chair for the sports management department, which is one of the most popular majors at ESU, and served as the sports management program's coordinator for 10 years.

Fleischman wants to mobilize his department in a cooperative effort with many others around campus.

But his pride and joy is a program he started that had a trial run on April 10 at the Innovation Center on Independence Road (Route 447) in Smithfield Township called "Synergies and Entrepreneurship" and its "Executive in Residence" series.

Ed Mayotte, the former CEO of Skytop, formulated the EIR series and will direct the career path program.

"It's all a part of a comprehensive effort to bring the business community together with the academic community," Fleischman said.

A student entrepreneur panel sits with an executive panel of successful business leaders to discuss the steps that led to their success. Fleischman wants to schedule two events in the fall, one on research economic development and a later one on entrepreneurship.

Students learned at the last one how Bill White, director of special projects for Ronpack, helped his packaging company succeed by cross-marketing. Ronpack designs bags for companies like McDonald's that have printed logos.

Another executive, Dan DiZio of Philadelphia Pretzel Factory, talked about how he would get his bags from Ronpack.

Also on the executive panel was Robert Marro from Sunoco, an ESU alumnus tasked with environmental compliance with refineries, who also is involved in all levels of racing from NASCAR to IndyCar and NHRA. Also on the panel was Pocono Raceway COO Nick Igdalsky and James Evans of the Wealth and Legacy Group.

Students can listen to panelists' career pursuits, challenges and obstacles and the keys to start successfully.

Fleischman believes the next EIR sessions could include speakers who are ESU graduates, such as ESSA Bank and Trust President and CEO Gary Olson. He also wants to reach out to Pocono Medical Center and new CEO Jeffrey Snyder, the Bushkill Group and Kalahari Resort.

A member of ESU's campus community for more than 20 years, Fleischman as a sport management professor has taught coursework, both graduate and undergraduate, in sports law, marketing and business, and finance, along with organization and administration of sport organizations and contemporary sports.

In 2013, Fleischman was named the Faculty Member of the Year by East Stroudsburg University's Student Senate. He is also a member of the Monroe County Bar Association and the New York state and Pennsylvania bar associations.

His previous professional experience includes work as a consultant on sports business and education matters with Time Warner Inc.; collaborative research projects with the NCAA; guest legal commentator for courtroom television/Time Warner Cable; and partner in the law firm Kirschenbaum, Fleischman and Spiegler.

Fleischman's teaching is not confined to classrooms with textbooks.

While at ESU, Fleischman authored a number of research grants for wellness, program development and student perceptions of university facilities. He has participated in panel discussions and other scholarly presentations nationwide and presented at a national conferences about risk management, sport management, sport law and sport marketing.